Tongs.



No. 819,359. PATENTED'MAY 1, 1906. W. H. MARKLAND.

TONGS.

APPLICATION FILED, SEPT. 30, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W NESSE'S ATTORNEY.

PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

W. H. MARKLAND.

TONGS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1905.

2 $HEBTS-SHEET 2.

"WEI/TOR BY 96% Z; ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES I WM fiw UNITED srATEs PATENT orrron.

WYLLIS H. MARKLAND, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

. TONGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

iatenteol May 1, 1906.

Application filed September 30, 1905. Serial No. 280,733.

f all whom it mwy concern:

' Be it known that I, WYLLIs H. MARK- LAND, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Ton s, of. which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to a tong device especially designed and intended for lifting car-wheels and similar objects, and has for its object to provide a tong device of this character especially designed for the convenient engagement and disengagement of the tongs with the object to be lifted.

The nature of my improvements will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings in which they are illustrated as applied in the best way which I have designed for the purpose, and in which is Figure 1 is an elevation showing my tong device set ready for engagement with a carwheel situated below it. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe tongs as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a view showing the tongs lowered into the car-wheel and the latch-lever, which in Fig. 1 holds the tongs in non-operative position shifted to release the tongs. Fig. 4 shows the tongs being lifted and in engagement with the car-wheel; and Fig. 5 shows the tongs lowered into the car-wheel, but still locked in non-engaging position by a supplemental locking-lever.

My tong deviceconsists of a frame made up of the plates A and A, s aced at top by the block A vertically pe orated, as indicated at A and also s aced by the staybolts, as indicated at A Guideways (indicated at A are formed in the face-plates of the frame.

B is a bracket secured to the face-plate A and supporting a pivot-pin L.

G0 are perforated brackets extending out from the same face-plate.

D D are bars secured to the face-plate A and s aced a art so as to make a uidewa which, as shown, is provided with laterallyro ecting pins H which extend into the guideways A of the frame.

I is a rod connected with a head II and extended through the perforated spacirgblock A the upper end being connected with a lifting-chain, as shown.

J is a pivot-pin secured on the face-plate A, and on which is pivoted a locking-lever K K, the arm K of which is formed with a clutch adapted to engage the pin H as shown in Fig. 5, while the'other arm K is, as shown, rovided with a laterally-projecti1". g arm 1% for convenient manipulation. The shape of this lever and its pivotal attachment alongside of the slideway is such that when in the position shown in Fig. 4 the latching-arm K will lie across the guideway A so that when pressed down by the pin of the sliding head it will engage such pin, as

shown in Fig. 5, and also that when thrown will turn it back to the position shown in Fig.

4. M M is'also a latch-lever pivoted on the pin L of the bracket B, the arm M having a hooked end M which when the lever is thrust to the position shown in Fig. 1 will engage the pin H of the ,head H when in lowermost position. This arm M. of the lever moves between the bars D D, which with the spacing-block at their end restrict and confine its movements. The arm M is provided with a laterally-projecting arm M for convenient manipulation, and the arm M is provided with a laterally-extending arm M which lies immediately above the latch-releasing pin N, whichmoves vertically in the perforated lugs C C.

0 indicates a car-wheel having the usual central perforation O For many usessuch, for instance, as permit of an operative standing immediately adjacent to the wheel to be engaged and liftedthe latch-lever M M may remain in retracted position, as shown in Fig. 5, the closed tongs, as shown in said figure, being lowered into the hole of the wheel and the latch-lever K being then thrown back to the position shown in Fig. 3, so that when the tongs are lifted their gripping ends F F will be forced apart to engage the car-wheel, as shown in Fig. 4, the upward movement of the head throwing the latch lever K to the position shown in Fig. 4, so that when the carwheel is lowered the weight of the head and IIO attached parts will close the tongs and push the latch-lever K K aside until it engages the head, as shown in Fig. 5. Where, however, the car-wheel is to be lifted from a soaking-pit or other inaccessible position, my tongs are adjusted for use as shown in Fig. 1, the latch-lever M M engaging the head and the latch-lever K K being thrust to non-operative position. The tongs are then lowered into the car-wheel, the pin N striking on the edge of the wheel and shifting the latchlever M M out of engaging position, as shown in Fig. 3. The lifting of the tongs then engages the car-wheel and shifts the latch-lever K K to position as shown in Fig. 4, the lowering of the wheel resulting in the closing and locking of the tongs, as shown in Fig. 5.

It will be obvious that my invention is capable of application in various modified forms, as well as in the exact arrangement shown in the drawings, and I therefore do not wish 1o be understood as limiting my claims to this illustrated construction except in so far asit is called for by the language of said claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A tong device having in combination a frame formed with a vertical guideway, tong levers pivoted on said frame, a sliding head guided on said frame, rods connecting said head and the ends of the tong-levers and a latch-lever K, K, pivoted on said frame adj acent to the guideway and adapted, as described, to engage and lock the sliding head as it moves down in the frame and to be shifted to engaging position by the head as it moves upward.

2. A tong device having in combination a frame, tong-levers pivoted on said frame, a sliding head guided on said frame, rods connecting said head and the ends of the tonglevers, a latch secured to the frame and adapted to engage the head in its lowermost position, and an automatic latch-releasing device adapted to act on said latch and to be set in operation by contact with the object to be gripped by the tongs.

' 3. A tong device having in combination a frame, tong-levers pivoted on said frame, a sliding head guided on said frame, rods connecting said head and the ends of the tonglevers, a latch secured to the frame and adapted to engage the head in its lowermost position, an automatic latch-releasing device adapted to act on said latch and to be set in operation by contact with the object to be gripped by the tongs and a separate latch adapted to engage and hold the head in lower position and to automatically engage said head when lowered.

4. A tong device having in combination a frame, tong-levers pivoted on said frame, a sliding head guided on said frame, rods connecting said head and the ends of the ton levers, a latch-lever M, M, pivoted on the lower part of the frame and having a jaw M adapted to engage the head in lowermost position, a latch-releasing .pin N, adapted to shift said lever to nonengaging position when pushed up and a second latch-lever K,

F K, pivoted on the frame alongside the slideway for the head and adapted as described to engage said head when it is lowered.

WVYLLIS H. MARKLAND. 

